Injured UK guard Dominika Paurova with assistant coach Radville Autukaite at UK's Media Day. (Larry Vaught Photo)
When Teonni Key heard the news about teammate Dominika Paurova would miss a second straight season she was “heartbroken” because she had watched how hard the Kentucky redshirt sophomore guard had worked to be able to play this season.
“Everybody loves Dom. If you know Dom, you love Dom. It was a sad day. But we’re all here for just, surrounding her with love and giving her whatever she needs,” Key said. “If the roles were switched, she would definitely be there for me or anyone else.”
The 6-foot-1 Paurova came to the United State from Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, to play for DME Academy in Florida. She went to Oregon State and played in 35 games, including four NCAA Tournament games, as a true freshman and averaged 5.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 16.4 minutes per game while shooting 48 percent from the field.
She transferred to Kentucky to play for new coach Kenny Brooks but injured her knee playing for her national team in the summer that forced her to miss the 2024-25 season. This time she hurt her knee in practice last month.
Brooks said he had talked with UK trainer Courtney Jones about how Paurova had worked as hard as anyone the trainer had ever seen to make sure she was back playing this season.
“She did everything that was asked of her, and then some and then for this situation to happen, and it happens right in front of us, it’s devastating,” the Kentucky coach said. “It’s takes an emotional toll not only on her but everybody because she is so loved in our program. We all knew how hard she worked to get back to this point.”
Brooks says he’s more than her coach. With her being so far from home, he becomes a “father figure” to her.
“She’s family,” Brooks said. “The most impressive thing was immediately after it happened, she had an idea of what it was. I was hoping for a hyper extension. She knew what it was, and she cried a little bit. After that, it was almost like she went into attack mode again. Her demeanor, her reaction to it all has been so impressive to me. She’s been back out on the floor to watch practice. She’s asking, ‘What can I do? Can you give me a job on the bench? I want to stay engaged.’ That is the way she’s handled it with a big smile.
“She didn’t say why me. She didn’t have any negative emotions. She was sad in the beginning but immediately after that she went after it and that shows what type of person she is. I love her. We all love her and I know she’ll attack this rehab even harder than she did the last one.”
Brooks was counting on Paurova’s versatility on both ends of the court to be a huge plus for UK just like he thought he would have been last season.
“She wasn’t back 100 percent and we were still getting used to what she could do. The blessing for us is that we do have depth at that position but I knew she was going to bring so much to us because of her length, tenacity and willingness to attack anything head on,” the Kentucky coach said. “That’s just her personality and we were going to need that toughness.
“Her spirit will still be with us and it’s just unfortunate and very sad that she’s not going to be able to be on the floor because she worked so hard to get back.”
Key battled injuries herself at North Carolina for two years before transferring to UK and having a breakout 2024-25 season.
“We have all our classes together. I literally love her so much and we spend so much time together,” Key said. “I took it hard and she probably got over it quicker than most of us honestly. We were so distraught. It was just horrible.
“She’s in good spirits now and on the road to recovery. She’s gonna come back better than ever. I hate that we don’t get a year together to be on the court, but she’s an amazing person and going to be an amazing player here. This is another thing she’s got to get through but if anybody can do it, it will be Dom.”
